


Joyride

by tehtacticianmagician



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: (kinda), (maybe mild therion/ophilia), Animals, Fluff, Gen, Horses, Humor, No Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 09:12:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15748662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehtacticianmagician/pseuds/tehtacticianmagician
Summary: Usually when Therion steals something, all sorts of trouble ensures. So what kind of troubles will follow when Therion steals a horse? (Bonus ending added)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my sister's idea. I am cursed with the blessing of being unable to write short one-shots. Also apologies in advance for butchering H'aanit's accent.

“... Is that a horse?”

Therion didn’t answer right away, but instead glared at the questioner as if he was daft. Yes, it was surprising for the thief to show up out of the blue holding the reins of a horse, but what else could this large, brown, four-legged creature with a white stripe down its muzzle could be? And he thought that Cyrus was the smartest one of the group.

“Therion, where dost thou get the horse?” H’aanit asked in her usual stern voice. She was looking down at him with a stern gaze, one that silently reprimanded him but also had a twinkle of amusement.

“Oh, no place in particular.”

“Really?” H’aanit’s amusement quickly faded away upon hearing Therion’s coy answer. “There art no wild horses in the Flatlands with a saddle already on thy back.”

“Look, do you guys want it or not?” Therion asked harshly. The sudden snippy tone startled the horse next to him and it violently pulled its head back in response, almost tearing his arm out of its socket.

“The gesture is not unappreciated but…” Cyrus rested his chin between two fingers as he studied the horse. “Taking care of a horse while travelling is no small feat. We barely have enough leaves among us to feed ourselves, for one thing. Plus, with how often we find ourselves in dangerous situations, the horse would become a liability at best and monster food at worst.”

“And there is only one horse.” It was H’aanit’s turn to contribute to a growing list of why this was a bad idea. “One horse cannot carryth the four of us. Either we take turns in riden her, or we usen her as a beast of burden. Both options will squanderen her potential to us.”

“Hold on.” To everyone’s surprise, the usually meek Ophilia spoke up. “You aren’t thinking about actually keeping her, are you? It’s obvious that the horse is stolen! We need to return her to her rightful owner.”

“Y-yes. Of course.” Cyrus replied sheepishly. “But how do you propose we do that? The only one that knows where it belongs is the thief, and I doubt that he will tell us anything.”

“If we releasen the horse now, she will finden thy way back.”

“Really?” Ophilia turned to H’aanit with eyes widened in surprise.

“Verily. All beasts, when in an unfamiliar situation, will tryen and return to their home. And tamed animals especially have a good sense of where thy master is.”

“So you guys don’t want the horse.” Therion interrupted everyone with his wry comment.

“No. We doth not. Where dost thou get the idea that a horse is necessary to our travels?”

“Well, Dainty-feet over here was just complaining about how tiring all this walking was. And now I'm not getting any appreciation from you guys.”

“Pardon me?” Cyrus asked indignantly. “Are you calling me Dainty-feet?”

“No you idiot. I was talking about her.”

Therion pointed his head in Ophilia’s general direction. Her face grew as red as a tomato at being singled out and she covered her mouth and nose with both hands. After taking a second to get over the initial shock, she responded in a quivering voice.

“I-I do appreciate the thought. But I cannot condone any thieving done in my name. Especially when you stole something as big and important to a horse. Think about what her owner must be going through right now. It isn’t right to deprive them of not only their transport, but possibly a dear companion. No. I cannot accept this. I need get used to journeying by foot anyway. The Kindling is meant to be a trial for me, and I cannot take any sinful shortcuts.”

Both Cyrus and H’aanit nodded at her thoughtful answer. Then they turned their attention to Therion. Now his face was flushed, although he didn’t become quite as pink as Ophilia. When he spoke after a moment of silence, he sounded more disappointed than upset.

“... Alright then. Guess it’s mine then.”

He pulled out an apple and held it in front of the horse’s snout. She plucked it out of his hands without missing a beat and happily chewed on it while Therion straightened her saddle.

“Hold on! Didn’t you hear what we all just said?” Cyrus exclaimed.

“Yeah. But I’m not wasting all the effort I went through to get it. Besides, we’ve gone too far to backtrack now.”

He placed a foot in a stirrup and pulled himself up onto the horse’s back. Or attempted to, at least. It took him a few tries to lift his body up and a few more tries to swing his leg over the saddle. When he finally managed to get himself comfortable, he looked down on everyone with an smug smile.

But it was clear to see that something was amiss. Therion’s knuckles turned white with how tightly he was holding the reins and his legs squeezed against the horse’s sides. He kept on shifting his body to accomodate for the horse’s subtle movements, occasionally lifting his arms to balance himself, and glanced down at his mount far more often than he should be. While Ophilia and Cyrus tried to convince him to get off the horse, H’aanit was silently evaluating his poor stance before she spoke up with a loud and clear tone.

“Therion. Hast thou ridden a horse before?”

He turned his attention to H’aanit upon hearing her question. “I’ve seen people do it. How hard could it be, if even soft-handed nobles can ride?”

“If thou insist. But…” She crossed her arms over her chest as an amused smile took over her face. “Thou must stop wriggling so much and keep thine gaze on the road ahead. Also loosen thy grip on her reins and her stirrups. By clutching so tightly, thou wilst tire thyself quickly and sendeth confusing signals to thine mount.”

“H’aanit, aren’t you on our side?” Ophilia said in an exasperated voice. “Why are you helping him?”

“Pft. I don’t need your help.” Therion replied with a glare. “You gave up your chance at this horse already. I’m not going to be told how I should ride _my_ horse.”

“Erm, it really wasn’t your horse though.” Cyrus noted, although no one paid attention to his mutterings.

“I am not claiming thine horse. But I am only offering advice. If thou tryen to ride her in an improper manner, thy attempts mayhap be… _catastrophic_.”

As if spurred by a hidden command in her words, the snow leopard that was resting by her side suddenly stood up and stared at the horse. There was no malice or hunger in her gaze, but the growl she emitted was enough to frighten the animal. The horse let out a ear-piercing whinny and reared up, almost causing Therion to fall off her saddle. His death grip on the reins allowed him to stay on, but at a dire cost. The horse then galloped away from Linde, no longer caring about the stranger on her back. A loud yell from her terrified rider could be heard even as she ran off into the distance.

“Therion! Wait!” Ophilia took off after the horse with surprising speed. Although she had no hopes in catching up, she too became a tiny speck not long afterwards.

While Cyrus and H’aanit stayed where they were. Cyrus shifted his attention between the fleeing horse and the cause for her flight, unsure of what to do. His first instinct was to chase them as well, but if H’aanit wasn’t budging, then there must be a good reason why.

“Erm, shouldn’t we be pursuing them?”

“It is not necessary. The horse will run back to her owner, and Therion will haven much explaining to do.”

“Are you sure?” He lifted a hand up to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun as he watch the distant silhouettes vanish. “It appears that the horse is running straight into the Whistlewood instead.”

“... Ah.” H’aanit’s content expression was quickly replaced by a concerned one. “Perhaps pursuit is a good idea then.”

 

* * *

 

By the time the two of them reached the entrance of the Whistlewood, Therion and the horse were nowhere in sight. They did spot Ophilia resting against a tree, however. Her eyes lit up upon seeing her companions and her tired feet carried her over to them swiftly.

“Thank the gods you’re here! The horse ran into the forest but I don’t know what happened to her or Therion afterwards! We need to reach them quickly, before the monsters do!”

“Of course. But I reckon that the situation isn’t as dire as it may seem as first.”

“Are you sure, Professor? If Therion doesn’t know how to ride a horse, then what hope does he have in fighting on horseback? Oh, I can’t bear to think what might happen to him…!”

“Calm down, dear sister. It will be alright.” Cyrus placed a hand on Ophilia’s shoulder. “The horse won’t be able to move quickly in such thick foliage. So I doubt that it has gotten far. And we have an expert animal tracker with us, so finding them should be a cinch. Isn’t that right, H’aanit?”

His question was met with silence. H’aanit was already deep in thought as she scrutinized the ground for any clues on their whereabouts. Of which there were many, apparently. Her eyes darted to and fro as she spotted numerous signs that a panicked horse had passed through here. Broken twigs. Displaced pebbles. And the most obvious sign of all, hoofprints in the dirt. She silently beckoned Cyrus and Ophilia to follow her as she traced the trail into the woods.

The Whistlewood was a different sort of forest than the ones located in the Woodlands. For one, it was home to an abundant amount of fireflies that illuminated the path. Their blinking lights made the natural maze seem less scary at first, but as they headed further inside, the fireflies became more ineffective at staving off the darkness. And there was also an abundance of frogs. Although they were hidden in the undergrowth, their raucous chorus constantly rang out and loudly proclaimed their presence.

Unfortunately this grove didn’t house just the mundane variety of frogs and insects. Once they were in the deepest parts of the forest, flitting shadows, rustling leaves, and garbled murmurings alerted them to the presence of their monstrous kin. H’aanit was too preoccupied with the horse’s trail to also watch out for enemies, so it fell onto Cyrus and his sharp eyes. He was surprisingly adept at avoiding encounters, and when asked about it, he stated that evading monsters while doing fieldwork was a skill every scholar should have. Or else they wouldn’t be scholars for very long.

“I am also impressed with how well H’aanit can follow the trail, however. I can hardly see anything in front of me, what with the lack of sunlight and the dense growth of plants. I can scarcely imagine spotting the faint impression of hooves in the dirt as well.”

“The horse is actually an easy quarry to tracketh.” H’aanit replied. “She is panicked, and caren not for the ruckus she leaveth behind. Most animals I hunt hide thy trails well and rarely venturen along the well-travelled path. So this is an easy hunt by comparison.”

“Still…” Ophilia didn’t bother hiding her awe in her voice. “I wish I could help out more. But I can’t do much besides offering light with my lantern.”

“On the contrary, Aelfric’s Lanthorn is essential to our efforts.” Cyrus commented. “It facilitates H’aanit’s tracking, and repels all but the bravest monsters. Even those fiends know not to attack someone that carries a part of the Flamebringer with them. Without it, I daresay our chances of finding Therion alive are slim.”

“Oh… Professor, you are too kind.”

H’aanit suddenly held up a hand, halting their conversation. She pointed at something on the ground, but the other two didn’t know what she meant until Ophilia held her lantern over it.

“Human footprints.” Cyrus noted.

“Are they Therion’s?” Ophilia asked in a hopeful voice.

“Most likely. They appear to be his size.”

“And they are fresh.”

“Wait, Professor, how do you know how big Therion’s feet are?”

“What? You don’t take careful inventory of every trait of someone you travel with? It is a necessity for not only moments like these, but for more unpleasant situations. Such as if their body was mauled by monsters beyond recognition, or if they drowned and their body spent much time in the water. How else might you identify them?”

“That’s horrible! You can’t say things like that!”

“Er, my apologies for upsetting you. But it is the truth, is it not?”

“Stop prattering you two!” H’aanit hushed them with an astonishingly incensed voice. Ophilia and Cyrus shut up almost immediately. Soon after they fell quiet, they heard some leaves shuffling nearby, followed by a soft groan.

“Is that-”

“Therion!” Ophilia finished Cyrus’s half-question as she darted towards the source of the sound. Sure enough, she found the white-haired, green-eyed thief laying on his side next to a pond. With no sign of the horse, but that was hardly on their minds right now.

“Ugh. Took you guys long enough.” Therion grumbled.

“That’s no way to treat your rescuers.” Cyrus retorted. But Ophilia ignored both of the men’s comments and immediately crouched down next to him.

“Are you hurt, Therion?”

“Erk. Yeah.” Therion hesitated before admitting that he was injured. “Stupid horse finally threw me off and I think I landed funny.”

“I toldest thou not to cling too tightly to the reins, did I not? If thou hast let go quicker, thou woulde not be here.”

“Shut up.”

Ophilia again disregarded his rude comment and clasped her hands together. She uttered a quick prayer before she pulled out her staff and shone its light onto his body. Her eyes remained closed and her lips still moved to continue her prayer, even after the staff’s holy light subsided to a faint glow.

“... And may the Flamebringer forgive this man of his transgressions against your will. With your Grace, he may learn from his foolish mistakes and take solace in your Sacred Flame.”

“Hey! What kind of prayer is that!” Therion yelped.

“One that’s asking for mercy, lest you be smited by His righteousness!” Ophilia shouted back. “I told you before that no good comes from thievery! You should have returned the horse when I asked you to!”

“Rrrgh.” Therion simply grunted in return. He was not the only one cowed by the ferocity in Ophilia’s retort. Cyrus and H’aanit and even Linde stared at her for a couple of seconds until Cyrus broke the silence.

“Speaking of the horse, we should attempt to find it before the monsters do. If they haven’t found it already.”

“I agree.” H’aanit nodded. “Therion, art thou able to move?”

The thief attempted to push himself up, but was only able to sit up before he winced and clutched his leg in pain. He didn’t need to say anything to let them know that he was unable to walk.

“Hm.” Cyrus let out a thoughtful sound as he pondered this dilemma. “H’aanit, are you able to track the horse by yourself?”

“Yes. It shoulde be a simple task.”

“Then we will stay here with Therion while you retrieve the horse. We can then use it to transport Therion out of here.”

“Are you sure, Professor?” Ophilia was back to her quiet and gentle self. “Maybe the two of us can carry him. I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave H’aanit alone. That’s all.”

“I will be fine.” H’aanit reassured her. “An injured man will only slowen me down. And besides, I am not truly alone.”

Linde let out a delighted growl at her words. Seeing that she was outnumbered, Ophilia ultimately relented and let H’aanit set off by herself. She continued to heal Therion’s injured leg with her staff while Cyrus kept an eye out for any foes. Her prayers couldn’t fix everything though, no matter how many words she sent up to the Flamebringer. At least Therion was awake and alert by the end of it all.

“Hey, Ophilia.”

“What is it Therion?”

“Why did you chase after me? You had no way of catching up to a sprinting horse.”

“Well… uh…” Ophilia could only stammer, being taken aback by his question. “It was instinctual, I guess. If someone is in trouble, I always try to help them out.”

“But you weren’t actually helpful at all.”

“I know that!” She was blushing again at his response. “I still couldn’t stop myself from trying.”

“Hmph.” Therion averted his gaze. “And why didn’t the other two follow me?”

“I… don’t know.” She casted her eyes downwards. She did notice that they didn’t run after them until later, but she didn’t really stop to think about it until now. “Why don’t you ask Cyrus that?”

“Eh. It’s not important. Although…”

“Yes?”

“You didn’t fall behind until much later, when we reached the forest. I guess your legs aren’t as tired as I thought.”

“I-” Ophilia was back to stammering. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“I’m just saying-”

“Ophilia! Therion! Look over here!” Cyrus’s enthusiastic cry effectively ended their conversation. Both of them glanced over to where he was pointing at, which was in the middle of the pond. At first, they couldn’t see anything but fog and fireflies. But they eventually made out a vaguely horse-shaped shadow standing in the water.

“Is that the horse?” Ophilia whispered in disbelief.

“It kinda looks like it.” Therion squinted his eyes to try and decipher the mysterious figure. “I’m pretty sure it didn’t run off into the pond though.”

“And there is no way H’aanit could miss its presence if it was so close by.” Cyrus frowned. “No, I’m afraid that it’s something much more troubling…”

As if on cue, the shadow suddenly swam towards the edge of the pond. The closer it came, the more details the three of them could make out, and what they could see gave them reason to panic. The encroaching shadow had strands of leaves and water weeds entwined in its long locks, algae-mottled skin that didn’t quite seem like fur, sharp hooves that resembled claws, and glowing red eyes that hungered for the prey in front of them.

“It’s a kelpie!” Cyrus sounded unusually happy to see such a fearsome creature. “A water monster that uses its similarity to horses to trick travelers into riding on its back. Once it has fooled a human, it’ll drag them into the body of water they call their home and drown them. They are more frequently found in the Riverlands though, so to find one in the Whistlewood is quite surprising-”

“Not now, moron!” Therion yelled at him. He bolted upright and unsheathed his dagger, but wasn’t able to do much else. His injured leg stopped him in his tracks and he let out a hiss of both pain and frustration.

“Don’t worry Therion! We’ll protect you!” Ophilia clipped her lantern onto her belt and brandished her staff. Cyrus had already whipped out a tome and started chanting incantations from it. A fireball suddenly materialized in his outstretched palms and, once it was an adequate size, flew towards the kelpie. The fiery sphere hit its target but it didn’t slow it down at all. In fact, the fireball only served to anger it. The kelpie’s unholy screech sounded nothing like a horse’s whinny but it did its job of paralyzing the two of them in fear.

“Gods, it’s even larger than the specimens I have read about! To think this minute forest housed such an extraordinary creature-”

“Professor! Look out!” Ophilia held her staff upwards the before pointing it at the beast. A pillar of light rained down from above, passing through the trees harmlessly but pummeling the kelpie into the ground. When the holy assault ended, it was kneeling on the forest floor, snorting heavily. But it stood back up quickly and worse, it had turned its attention to Ophilia.

It grunted loudly and pawed the dirt before charging at her like a bull. The cleric tried to stop it with another light spell, but it shrugged off the blow and continued onwards. Ophilia needed to step aside to avoid getting plowed, but if she did, Therion would be in danger. So she stood her ground and prayed for a miracle in between spells as impending doom approached.

Suddenly, something pushed her away. The kelpie dug its feet into the ground to stop itself from crashing into a tree. Ophilia fell to the ground and rolled a couple times, but she thankfully still had her staff in hand. She shook her head to clear her dizzied vision and found Therion laying next to her. In his hands was a bloodied dagger, and indeed there was a streak of blood on the kelpie’s side.

“Therion-”

“What are you, an idiot?” He snarled. “You would’ve died if I hadn’t pushed you out of the way!”

“But your leg!” She gasped. The act of jumping, pushing Ophilia aside, and tumbling in the earth took its toll on Therion’s leg. It was in worse shape than before and he definitely wouldn’t be able to get up now.

The kelpie’s face was contorted with anger as it let out an enraged roar. Cyrus stepped in between it and his two fallen comrades and worked on another spell. This time, lightning crackled from his hands and sped towards the beast. The kelpie bellowed upon being electrocuted. For a moment, they thought that his conjuration did the trick and Cyrus continued chanting to keep the onslaught of electricity up. But eventually he had to take a breath, and that’s when the kelpie acted. It shook its mane, sending charred hair and leaves everywhere, and lunged at them again with startling speed. Cyrus resumed his lightning spell, and Ophilia ended joining in too with a spell of her own, but neither of them could finish their incantations before the beast was right on top of them-

A white and black blur leaped from the bushes and slammed into the kelpie. It was knocked off its deadly course while the blur, now a recognizable snow leopard, landed in front of the three of them. Linde crouched and roared at the monster, ready for another round of combat. The kelpie seemed like it was going to accept her challenge, but then several arrows flew out of nowhere and pierced its side. It shrieked another ghastly not-whinny as H’aanit emerged, bow in hand. The monster sensed that it was outnumbered and made the wise decision of retreating back into its pond.

“H’aanit! Thank the gods you’re here!” Ophilia sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“I only wishen I had arrived sooner.” She replied back in a somewhat regretful tone.

“And you found the horse too. Splendid job!” Cyrus spotted the once missing animal next to her. The horse was surprisingly calm for having such a close encounter with its horrific cousin.

“So we got what we came for. Let’s go.” Therion muttered. With everyone else’s help, he was able to get on the horse and properly seat himself this time. He was also tied to the saddle for good measure, much to his chagrin.

But they didn’t leave right away. H’aanit was staring out into the pond with an inscrutable look on her face. When Ophilia reminded her of the urgency, she shook her head and waved a hand.

“You three leaven this place. I will catchen up shortly.”

“Huh?” Her companions tried to press a more precise answer out of her, but she refused to divulge details. Almost as if she had something in mind that she knew they wouldn’t like...

In the end, they left her alone and ran out of the woods. Ophilia was afraid that they couldn’t find their way back, but Cyrus had memorized the path they had taken and Therion occasionally interjected with his own directions. Soon enough, they emerged from the shadowy forest and stepped out into the light of a setting sun. The approaching dusk reminded them of how much time they wasted on this little adventure, no thanks to Therion.

“We may have to make camp soon. There is no possible way we can reach the next town before night falls.” Cyrus noted.

Ophilia let out a dejected sigh. “And here I was hoping we could sleep in a nice inn for once.”

“Sorry.”

She turned her head backwards, to where Therion was. He glanced away, as if pretending that he didn’t say anything.

“Did you just…?”

“I believe he did. Therion, apologizing. I’d say that was the most alarming occurance to happen today.”

“And you guys wonder why I’m without manners all the time…” He muttered.

Shortly after that exchange, the scholar spotted H’aanit’s and Linde’s silhouettes leaving the forest behind them. But like before, at the beginning of the day, he noticed another unfamiliar figure with them.

“... Is that the kelpie?”

Therion frowned and uttered curse words under his breath. Ophilia could only watch with growing dread as H’aanit approached the group. She held onto some strands of its mane like reins, and seemed surprised that they were surprised to see their former foe standing before them peacefully.

“By the gods, why would you bring that evil creature here?!” Cyrus sounded completely baffled for once.

“We will be returning the horse to her owner soon. But Therion still needeth transport until a healer can looken at him. Thou needednt not worry about the kelpie. She willen be on her best behavior.”

The kelpie nickered in good humor, but it still was a disturbing, unearthly sound. The three of them couldn’t swallow H’aanit’s explanation, despite how subdued the kelpie looked. But they did their best to accept it, since she was right. Therion wouldn’t be able to keep up with them on foot and the normal horse wouldn’t be with them much longer.

“I take back what I said earlier. _This_ is the most alarming occurance to happen today.”

“Now will you tell us where you got the horse?” Ophilia asked.

Therion let out a growl, but he was hardly in the mood to keep it a secret any longer. “It was from a traveling merchant in that direction. He was sleeping in a tent, so stealing the horse was a piece of cake. I just untied it from its post and coaxed away with some apples. I doubt that he knew it was missing until he woke up.”

“Art thou still arguing that thou shoulde keepeth the horse?”

“Gods no! He can have it back. I don’t want to ride anything that’s stupid enough to run into a forest full of monsters when scared by a cat.”

“Finally, he seems some sense!” Cyrus proclaimed. “Unfortunately, that revelation came too late. We’ve spent much of the day in the Whistlewoods thanks to your thievery. Searching the merchant when night is almost upon us would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“So we shall looken for the horse’s owner first thing tomorrow morning. As much as I hate to admitten it, Therion’s judgement of the mare is correct. She dost have a poor sense of direction. I woulde loathe to releasen her into the wild, especially at this time.”

Ophilia sighed. That meant more time spent on a task that could have been easily avoided, and less time traveling to their actual destinations. But from regretful look on Therion’s face, she supposed their escapade today wasn’t all that bad. If Therion finally learned about the consequences of thieving, that was more than she could hope for. Except, somehow, she had a feeling that he didn’t gain much from this lesson at all...


	2. Bonus ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After finishing what was originally a one-shot, I thought of this scenario and it was too hilarious to pass up. So here's a bonus chapter about what happens when the group finds the horse's owner.

It took the four of them all morning to find the horse’s owner but they succeeded in the end, thanks to Cyrus’s knowledge of the roads in the Flatlands and H’aanit’s tracking skills. The unlucky merchant was a young man around Therion’s age that seemed to be pretty upbeat despite his missing horse. Of course, he became even happier when he laid eyes on her.

“Peanut! You’re alright!” He ran over and embraced her with a hug around her neck. The horse brushed the side of his face and nickered a greeting of her own.

“Kind travelers, thank you so much for returning her to me! I thought that I’d never see her again!”   


“It’s of no trouble at all. We did what anyone would do when we saw your wayward horse. Although…”

Ophilia pushed Therion forward with her staff. “I think  _ someone _ has something to say to you.”

The horse thief’s gaze turned downward, so he couldn’t see the baffled expression on the merchant’s face. The following moment of silence was filled with so much tension, one could swallow it. The other three members of the traveling group waited with bated breath for his apology.

Except when Therion lifted his head up, he wore an uncanny smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Oh, we are so incredibly elated that your dear Peanut has been returned to her master as well! When we found her, dazed and confused and without her owner, we thought that such a reunion wouldn’t be possible! Especially when I tried to tame her and ended up taking an unexpected trip into a den of monsters!”

“Wait, what happened?!” The merchant’s widened eyes and gaping mouth matched the look of bewilderment that graced Therion’s companions. They have seen him pull this kind of stunt before, but it was always a shock when they weren’t expecting it. With how effortlessly Therion shifted his mannerisms and attitude, someone could easily think that he was a refined highborn person in a previous life.

“It was a terrifying moment, when she sprinted into the Whistlewood while I was still on her back! She is an excellent runner by the way. She must have came from a distinguished line, no?”

“She does, but-”

“Anyway!” Therion wrapped an arm around his shoulder to interrupt him. “I tried to calm her the best I could, but we were surrounded by monsters and I was vastly outnumbered! No matter how hard I fought, I ended up with this gash on my leg and a twisted ankle. Luckily, my lackeys arrived in the nick of time to help me finish them off. And then the rest, of course, is history.”

“Lackeys?! Wait just a-”

“Shhh!” Cyrus unexpectedly covered Ophilia’s mouth to muffle the rest of her words. While she struggled in his grip, he whispered into her ear.

“As degrading as it may be, it would be wise to play along. If we out Therion’s misdeeds, we would only drag ourselves down with him.”

Ophilia stopped thrashing when he explained his reasoning, but she still had a look of scorn on her face. If H’aanit hadn’t also remained silent, she might have disregarded Cyrus’s advice. But at least she could see that she was also infuriated by the sudden turn of events, judging by her furrowed brows and a tight frown.

“I am so terribly sorry that you had to go through that!” The merchant profusely apologized. “I’m usually not such a sound sleeper, and Peanut is usually so good about staying by my side. Ah, what was your name again?”

“Theodore.” Therion replied.

“Thank you again for saving Peanut, Mr. Theodore! My name is Horace. Horace Whimbleton. If there’s anything you need, please let me know! I am but a humble merchant, but my wares are top notch!”

“What kind of things do you have?”

“I carry with me the basic necessities, and a few treasures. If you’ll allow me…”

Horace turned his back to them to rummage through his hefty backpack. Ophilia couldn’t take this charade any longer and stepped forward with a stern look on her face.

“Compensation really isn’t necessary, Mr. Whimbleton. We only did what was right. Your gratitude is more than sufficient for us.”

“Nonsense! I can’t let a good deed go unrewarded. Especially when Mr. Theodore was wounded for my sake.” The merchant replied while he pulled out stuff from his backpack.

“Yeah. With my injuries, it’ll be harder for me to work.” Therion reverted back to his normal self to shoot daggers with his eyes at Ophilia. 

“Now let’s see… Did you travelers want anything in particular?”

“If you have any medicine for my leg, that would be fantastic.” Therion said without hesitation. H’aanit and Cyrus glanced at each other for a brief moment before speaking up.

“Hm... I am low on arrows after yesterday.”

“Might you have any interesting books on you, good sir?”

“Hold on!” Ophilia glared at H’aanit and Cyrus. It would seem like she was going to give them a serious lecture, based on how beet red her face was, but she spoke in a whisper instead. “Don’t you two have any shame? We came here to apologize! You shouldn’t be cheating him out of his wares like Therion!”

“Why not? He offered, and refused our refusal. And technically, we did save his horse from monsters. Our friend here is just… stretching the truth.” Cyrus rebutted.

“Indeed. It woulde be more rude to insist against his gift at this point. A small reward, no matter the reason for it, is not a terrible thing to be accepten when considering the journey ahead.”

“Well I’m not-”

“-And I’ll take this for the lady.” Therion spoke up to drown out Ophilia’s protests. She couldn’t exactly see what he accepted from the merchant, but she could tell that it was something small. Ophilia still wanted to publicly admonish Therion and force a proper apology out of him, but her heart faltered when she saw Horace’s beaming smile. By the time she steeled her will, the chance was gone, and the merchant and horse were already back on the road.

“So these are for you and you.” Therion handed H’aanit a bundle of arrows and Cyrus a well-worn book. “And this is for you.”

He tossed something Ophilia’s way. She barely reacted in time and caught it before it hit the ground. Sitting in her cupped hands was a delicate silver necklace with a shiny stone pendant that glimmered with the colors of the Sacred Flame. Upon closer examination, the pendant appeared to be make out of glass rather than an actual gemstone. But it was still a sight to behold, especially when she held it up in the sunlight. The fragmented rays of light dazzled her and made her almost forgot what Therion had done to obtain it.

“Therion-”

“The merchant said that he couldn’t just pay me in arrows, an old book, and a handful of healing salve. So he showed me this. Said that it would suit you.”

“But you lied to him to get it! You practically stole this from him! I cannot accept this!”

“Whatever. Chuck it into the nearest river then. I got what _I_ wanted.”

Despite her fiery convictions moments ago, Ophilia couldn’t bring herself to throw it away just yet. Perhaps it was because his tone made it sound like he was egging her to discard the necklace. And she didn’t want to give him any satisfaction. So she tucked it into her bag for now, resolving to give it to the next poor soul she met. As she did so, she found herself watching Therion hoisting himself onto the kelpie’s back (with H’aanit’s help), and spotted a bag of coins hidden underneath his cloak. She was sure that he didn’t have that before, considering that they struggled to make financial ends meet.

So that was what his last sentence meant. Ophilia let out a frustrated sigh. She supposed that Therion didn’t learn his lesson after all.


End file.
